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Latest souvenir trends among foreign tourists in Japan

18 Comments
By Michelle Lynn Dinh

Recently, tourists in Japan have been flocking to Kappabashi-dori, also known as Kitchen Town, before returning to their home countries. They come to the small shopping area located between Ueno and Asakusa in Tokyo in search of a hot souvenir item unique to Japan.

For the past two to three years, Kama Asa Shoten, an over 100-year-old shop “bringing together professional cooks and the right utensils,” has seen the number of foreign customers increase. The shop specializes in crafting specialty cooking knives and it is this luxury item that has foreigners in Japan shelling out several hundred dollars for a single souvenir.

About 25% of Kama Asa Shoten’s customers are from outside of Japan. The shop sees so many foreign visitors on a daily basis, they even provide information on each of their knives in English and have an English version of their official webpage. Although kitchen knives can be purchased in any country, the ones from Japan are prized for their high quality and durability and the knives from Kama Asa are no exception, made with knowledge that has been passed down for four generations. According to the Kama Asa philosophy, “Good tools are shaped to make food better” and “as a tribute to every independent craftsperson, the knives at Kama Asa are shown and supplied in their completed, unadorned form – unbranded.”

The shop will even engrave your blade, making Kama Asa knives a very useful and personal gift. No wonder so many foreigners have been purchasing them for friends who weren’t lucky enough to make it to Japan.

Another souvenir that has recently become popular, especially among wealthy Chinese tourists, is the Nambu iron kettle. Each kettle is handmade and it is said that because each one is made of iron, the boiled water becomes “smooth and mellow,” making a very delicious cup of tea. The kettle also adds trace amounts of iron that can be easily absorbed by the body.

Although Kama Asa isn’t the only shop in Kappabashi-dori that specializes in selling Japanese knives or Nambu iron kettles, the quality and care they take to create each piece is very impressive. If you’re going to take a trip to Japan, why not stop by this little 105-year-old shop and pick up one of these trending souvenirs.

Kama Asa Shoten 2-24-1 Matsugaya, Taito-ku Tokyo 111-0036

Source: dot

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- We Visit Otaku Cooking School -- The Top 25 Things In Japan Most Likely To Blow Foreigner’s Minds -- Why Halloween Isn’t Popular in Japan

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18 Comments
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the ones from Japan are prized for their high quality and durability

High quality? Definitely.

Durability? No way.

The combination of iron and carbon used in Japanese traditional blades makes them extremely sharp, but it also makes them rust easily, and the blades can chip if they're used incorrectly. For someone who knows their knives they're beautiful and useful. To someone who doesn't know how to use them they're a waste and possibly even dangerous.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

Frungy, one needs to buy a set of toishi (sharpening stones) with a true Japanese knife, and one will need to learn to use them on a daily basis. It takes 30 seconds for a knife, but this will give you and extremely sharp blade. Durability can be drastically improved by having a higher cutting edge angle (easy to change with a sharpening stone). Also, a true Japanese knife has a single side cutting edge angle, instead of the V-shaped ones the European knifes have. This makes them difficult to re-sharpen by someone not trained properly.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Kappabashi is a great [place to spend a morning. great knives and other kitchen implements as well as brilliant rubber food.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

My knives cost over ¥17,000 Each. But I do not buy Japanese knives. Rust is an issue. I buy another brand and they are fantastic.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

ebisenSep. 24, 2013 - 09:42AM JST Frungy, one needs to buy a set of toishi (sharpening stones) with a true Japanese knife, and one will need to learn to use them on a daily basis. It takes 30 seconds for a knife, but this will give you and extremely sharp blade. Durability can be drastically improved by having a higher cutting edge angle (easy to change with a sharpening stone). Also, a true Japanese knife has a single side cutting edge angle, instead of the V-shaped ones the European knifes have. This makes them difficult to re-sharpen by someone not trained properly.

Like I said, to someone who knows how to handle knives they're wonderful, but to someone who doesn't they're a lousy gift.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Also, a true Japanese knife has a single side cutting edge angle, instead of the V-shaped ones the European knifes have.

A "true Japanese knife" is worthless if you're a left-hander; the single edge is designed as if everyone in the world holds the knife with their right hand.

All the quality in the world is worthless if the design is such that you can't even use it.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Also, a the cheapest set of sharpening stones will set you back at least 30.000 Yen. A decent one will be around 50.000 - 70.000 yen :)... On the other hand, if I'd want to, I could pick any knife I sharpened myself and have a clean shave without the smallest scratch or discomfort... a man and his hobbies :)

0 ( +1 / -1 )

I'd like to buy a set of ceramic kitchen knives but I dread what would happen when my hold luggage went through the scanners and they showed up. Probably think I'm a terrorist or something.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

All the quality in the world is worthless if the design is such that you can't even use it.

Who said they intend to use them ? It's souvenirs. How do you use a kokeshi doll ? People buy them as they can't samurai spades so easily.

Probably think I'm a terrorist or something.

Or a cook. In registered luggage no problem. But ceramic knives, they make and sell them everywhere.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Who said they intend to use them ? It's souvenirs. How do you use a kokeshi doll ? People buy them as they can't samurai spades so easily.

They're cooking knives. Why spend all this money if you're not going to use them for cooking.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Why spend all this money if you're not going to use them for cooking.

People love buying and owning expensive stuff to display. In my country, there is Soufflenheim, a village where they still make traditional cooking ware, like molds that were used daily in 1900. Now, the molds in modern material are so much more convenient that everybody used that. People still get the expensive hand-crafted ones to hang on the wall of their kitchens or their shops.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

They're cooking knives. Why spend all this money if you're not going to use them for cooking.

I've never tasted a cooked knife

0 ( +1 / -1 )

CosSep. 24, 2013 - 09:40PM JST

Why spend all this money if you're not going to use them for cooking.

People love buying and owning expensive stuff to display. In my country, there is Soufflenheim, a village where they still make traditional cooking ware, like molds that were used daily in 1900.

Copper moulds will tarnish over time, but a quick wipe with a cloth and they're good as new. A Japanese knife that has been handled and then hasn't been cleaned and oiled again afterwards (or even a knife that has just been left standing on display for a long time) will rust because of the high iron content. Perhaps if you REALLY know what you're doing you can remove small rust marks with minimal damage to the appearance of the blade through several hours of work with about 6 different grades of sandpaper and waterpaper, but for most people the blade is now ruined.

As I said before, you really need to know your stuff in order to own a traditional Japanese knife.

P.S. Ebisen - I does not take 30 seconds to properly sharpen a knife with toishi, more like 3 minutes at least, and that's assuming you have everything laid out and ready to use. For someone who doesn't know what they're doing it takes about 30 seconds to completely RUIN the edge on the blade to the point where you have to virtually re-grind the edge.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Also, a true Japanese knife has a single side cutting edge angle, instead of the V-shaped ones the European knifes have.

Single-beveled vs. double-beveled.

Too many tourists think buying a Japanese knife is the secret to making traditional Japanese food, particularly sushi. The real secret is to learn how to make great rice and to resist the temptation to bollix it up by slathering on goma dressing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I got my folks a Nambu iron kettle for the top of their wood burning stove. They liked it.

The only problem was that big (1.5? 2? litre) Nambu iron kettles were available from amazon uk but not from amazon Japan.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Copper moulds will tarnish over time, but a quick wipe with a cloth and they're good as new.

Surely not, Frungy. Copper is toxic. The lining has to be remade by a pro or you should never use them for food again. But that's as OT as your fairy tales about knives rusting. Super high maintance knives exist, but 99% of those they sell have zero chance of getting rust problems in the houses of average persons. My family has been buying Japanese souvenirs since the 70's and the only traditional objects that have not lasted are lacquered boxes, In houses with central heating, they dry too much and end up cracking. I would have bet we'd get more problems with the Kyoto dolls in silky clothes and the kimono as the light could fade the fabrics, but that has not happened.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

@Cos

Far from being toxic, copper is essential for health. It can cause problems if ingested in large amounts, but only in people with genetic abnormalities. So suck on those ten yen coins, people!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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